Pot Holder, Sunglass Holder? (zazz)

Introduction: Pot Holder, Sunglass Holder? (zazz)

It's Summer time, and that means fun in the sun. Unless you're in Colorado, where it's raining and chilly today... all the more reason to make something!

I wanted to think "sunny", so I got out the Luau shirt, the Truck Tire Flip Flops, and the Sunglasses. Realizing sitting around the house like this might raise questions, I put the shirt away. Flip Flops are comfy, so kept those out. Sunglasses are dirty and a little scratched from just getting tossed in the bag. What can I do about this?

Make a Sunglass Case! With zazz...

Thanks for the idea is extended to my Mom and her flying monkeys. (Totally not an insult before you say anything, my Mom is awesome! Her flying monkeys are of equal or lesser awesomeness!)

Step 1: Gather Materials

Now, as with most of my Instructables, the items needed can either be found easily, bought at extremely low cost, or are already in your home.

A Pot Holder

Every kitchen has them. Some kitchens don't need them as the owners never cook, but I bet they still have one. The ones we are using for this are the cheapie little cotton ones that actually provide no insulation protection whatsoever. (Why do people have these!?!) The little square ones with the loop to hang them preferably. I have a towel in my kitchen, so I bought these at the dollar store. (Got two, only needed one.)

Needle and ThreadNothing really special here, although, if you have to buy thread, I'd suggest buying either a matching thread, or (hind sight) even zazzier, a contrasting color!

EmbellishmentsGawd, I love that word... Just a little something to zazz it up. I used old shirt buttons from the button jar. If you don't have a button jar, you should look into starting one. Any clothes that are too worn to sell or give to the thrift stores, (por ejemplo: torn or stained shirts), simply cut off the buttons, and save them. Buttons are awesome and zazzy craft things to have, and some of them are really cool looking!

Step 2: Could You Please Stop Saying Zazz?

At this point in time, we are just decorating. Embellishing. I chose to use shirt buttons for this one, but you can use whatever you want. Beads, sequins, whatever you want. The buttons sound tacky, but ended up looking really classy. I'll tell you what, the button covered ones sell well. For some reason, they look more hand made than ones with beads.

Reclaimed materials are "in" as a fashion thing, so the button jar has become a money jar.

Just saying.

Step 3: Button Encrusted Pot Holder, Now What?

Oh, who am I kidding, I could have just done this much and called it done. It's pretty. But no, I have a mission, a button encrusted mission to complete.

If this wasn't simple enough, here's the next part. Fold your pot holder in half so the little loop (if your Pot Holder has one) is at the top. You can really visualize the finished product now.

Tie a good sized knot in your thread and just start sewing through both layers of the Pot Holder. Just follow the existing seam. Since I used black thread on a black Pot Holder, the stitch seems invisible. Stitch it this way until you get almost to the top, then either double back, or tie it off. I doubled back for a little added strength. I don't plan on doing anything that should rip it, but hey, you never know.

Step 4: Fin

That's it! You now have your finished product. The little loop will let you hang this on the wall, in the car, on your bag, wherever you want. For such a simple craft, it ends up looking really professional! I was looking around online, and these things start around ten dollars! Consider the cost of our project cost:

Pot Holders- $1.00 for 2

Thread and Needle- FREE (or if you buy thread, something like $0.96

Embellishments- FREE (use whatever you want, this will only cost you something if you want it to)

So, $1.00 to make 2, and considering there's a LOT of free buttons out there, and a LOT of thread left, I can easily make twenty of these for the cost of one!

The sunglasses have a cozy home, and hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow to show this off!

I wear large framed glasses and its difficult to find cases that fit unless you want to spend $$$$ so this idea really strikes home. Im thinking that for some added strenght a couple of pieces from a milk jug sewed into one side would help.. thanks for a great idea